The field of the invention pertains to pistols and handguns and in particular to pistols and handguns used for target and competitive shooting. Various mechanical features of such guns such as safety catches and magazine catches are actuated by push buttons or levers positioned on the gun for right-handed persons, by far the largest percentage of the population. Such positioning makes awkward the operation of the buttons or levers by left-handed persons. In target and competitive shooting the awkwardness of the right-handed guns puts the left-handed shooter at an unfair disadvantage.
In view of the awkwardness of right-handed guns various ambidextrous or left-hand operable features have been added to handguns. U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,769 discloses an ambidextrous safety catch at the upper rear of the hand-grip of a Colt pistol. A pair of rotatable levers are located on either side of the hand-grip and connected by a mechanical interlock mechanism therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,337 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,311 disclose reversible magazine catches for pistols, however, these magazine catches require disassembly of the mechanisms from the pistols for reversal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,353 discloses a magazine catch that slides into and out of engagement from either side of the handle to provide an ambidextrous catch for a Walther pistol. The levers on either side pivot about a centrally located lever latch within the hand-grip.